Monday, December 02, 2013

Know Your Enemy- North Florida Ospreys

They come in at 4-4 playing the Gators close in their opening game and getting blown out by Ohio State in their previous one. They actually have a game tonight (vs Edward Waters) so maybe we can catch them worn down.

This is a good opponent for us after the disappointing showing in MSG. Get Jacobs started inside (and keep him interested in the game) then let Relly and Retin take over with the dribble drive. I would like to see Cooper and Randolph work on some mid-range shots if the game is out of reach as they both need the confidence.

I'm interested to see if Grant adjusts the starting line-up in this game. I'm pulling for Coop, but he's been struggling. It might give him a spark if he comes off the bench. I think the best starting five (right now) is Trevor, Retin, Levi (struggling as well, but that could be due to the knee), Nick and Jimmie.

“I’ve known Anthony Grant for a long time,” he said. “I know what the attendance says, but there’s no way on God’s earth. I know it’s North Florida, but they should be proud of what he’s done here. They should be proud of this team. For the 50th best team, playing in the SEC, I thought it was going to be a much different environment for those guys, students included. I thought there would be more people here. It was disappointing.” - North Florida coach Matt Driscoll, commenting on yet another pathetic fan turnout for a Bama game.

An A-Sun coach calling out our fans for their lack of support. Friggin' embarrassing. I've said it before, I'll say it again: If you live in or near T-town, get your asses out to the game and support your team. Even more embarrassing is the attendance figure they announced (in the neighborhood of 9,000). Not even close to that amount. We've talked about it incessantly, I know. But when the opposing coach says something, Jesus. Something has to be done.

two things that have to happen for Driscoll and other Anthony Grant fans:

(1.) Grant has got to transform himself into a salesman for the program. folks can bitch, moan and complain until the cows come home but the fact is as has been said here a number 23 times short of the national debt, this ain't football. Grant i'm sure is a nice guy who has oatmeal for breakfast every morning and takes out the little old lady's trash that lives across the road every week. but he's boring. and people don't buy boring.

(2.) Grant has to develop a product to sell. Grant's teams are a reflection of himself. BORING. Grant was brought in here and sold to us as someone who was going to change the status quo. someone who was ready for prime time. Happy has been the biggest advocate for Grant that i personally believe exists but i believe even he knows deep down neither of those things have happened. Grant has not changed anything. nothing. UAB's coach has beaten UNC who beat Michigan State. in year 2 of his tenure in Birmingham.

in five years, name Grant's signature win.

look back at Mark Gottfried's situation in Tuscaloosa at around this point in his tenure. he was about to be run off before he made that big tournament run in '05. has Grant done anything remotely close to beating #1 seed Stanford and defending national champ Syracuse??? think that's gonna happen this year???

and i'll leave everyone with this question, exactly who the hell is Matt Driscoll??

Anthony Grant has been made a "one percenter" to be there. the fans have to sacrifice their money and time to be there.

if some of us here were as hard on Grant as we are on the fans..........

It is why I have said for a couple years that Grant is not the right fit here. Being that hoops is like the 6th priority at Alabama (behind FB, recruiting, A-Day, AUBsessing about the Barn, and quad tailgating) one of his jobs whether he likes it or not is promoting the program. You see that with the golf and softball ones and look where they are.I know his name is toxic here, but look at what Bruce Pearl did @ UTK. He was out there promoting the program at every step... FB games, women's hoops, grocery stores, etc. If you are in the SEC and your team is not named Kentucky, Arkansas, or Missouri it is something that needs to be done to attract the fanbase until you start winning consistently (and by winning I mean NCAATs and SEC championships/Tourney wins). Gottfried and Sanderson understood that, Hobbs did not.Grant's signature win if you ask me was @ UTK in 2011. I'll have to check, but I don't think he has but 2 victories against the top 25.As far as the game goes last night... we did what was needed. Had to watch it on my S3 to get by the blackout issue and was impressed with ball movement. Jimmie Taylor has exceeded my expectations so far. I wasn't counting on much from him this early. If we can get him and Jacobs involved in the game more and find a consistent 2nd shooter we could be a fringe NCAAT team.

Personally, I don't think it's Anthony Grant's job to promote the program as if he's some kind of salesman. He's a basketball coach. His job is to coach basketball. If it's anyone's job to promote a college basketball program, that falls on the university and its athletic department.

And why should anyone have to promote a college basketball program? People may not know what day or time the game takes place, but they know that basketball is played at the university. It takes very little effort to decide to attend a game and, if so, look up the dates and times of the games. Nevertheless, if people need to be coaxed and coerced into attending games because they can't make a simple decision for themselves, that's on the university to increase awareness.

Finebammer: You need to keep up with the blog before you try and call me out yet again for blind loyalty for Anthony Grant. I just wrote a post in the wake of the Drexel loss concerning the state of the program. Grant needs to generate more consistency on the court and fast. However, I'm never going to criticize a coach because they don't go around smooching butt and trying to coax people to attend games. That shouldn't fall on coaches. They've got enough on their plate between media responsibilities, practices, game preparation and recruiting without having to wonder if Jenny and Johnny Roll Tide are going to do their duty as fans and come support the team.

And as far as Bruce Pearl goes: His interest was not so much Tennessee basketball as himself. Just my opinion.

While it shouldn't be his job, the fact that the University is so AUful at doing it (even worse than most other SEC schools) it has to be picked up by him at least partially to do. Other coaches in non-FB sports at Alabama have done that with very good results.Bottom line is most of the Alabama fanbase are football only fans. Got to CONSTANLY market to them about hoops (and other sports).

You could say the same thing about Anthony Grant. His interest is not so much Alabama basketball. It's himself. He is only hear, because we are paying him an absurd amount of money that no one else in the country is dumb enough to pay him.

"Happy has been the biggest advocate for Grant that i personally believe exists"

ok, maybe Grant's mother is bigger but really, what about that statement offends you??

are you now ashamed of your Grant advocacy of the last 5 years?? i would think you'd be loud and proud.

i still remember all those years you had your head up Gottfried butt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evmwGi0Zyd4

whether you believe a coach should be involved in selling his program or not is irrelevant. If Coach Saban can get out there and do it, and he does, well then our damned basketball coach shouldn't be too good for it. and the fact is, our b'ball program NEEDS it. otherwise we just sit back and watch another program (UAB) pass us by.

Sensitive. Now that's not a word I've heard many people use when describing me. Then again, you're not the most observant person I've ever come across either.

In fact, you're a really dumb person. I have never stopped being a Grant supporter. However, your idea that I will support Grant blindly in the face of bad losses is as asinine as your false memory that I had my head up Gottfried's butt. Please get a grip.

What about that statement is wrong? Well, a personal belief does not make something absolute. Therefore, you're wrong. Now, if you had written, "Happy has been the biggest advocate for Grant on this blog", then I would not have taken issue with your comment. It's all how you write, Finebammer.

I have been his biggest advocate among us. I'm sure there are those who support coach Grant much more than I have. There are those who would not have written a blog post asking this staff to "put up or shut up" in the wake of the Drexel loss. I have not professed blind loyalty to the man contrary to your claims, but within the small confines of those who write, read and comment to this blog, I have been his most vocal supporter. Quite proudly, I might add. And I will continue to support him and hope that he can improve as a coach and the program along with him. And, should the powers that be decide to hire someone else in the near or distant future, I will support them as well. If Grant determines himself that this is a lost cause and rides off into the sunset, I will wish him good luck and gladly support the next coach who takes the reins. That's part of being a fan.

No, I'm not sensitive. I just don't take crap from blowhards such as yourself. Never have, never will. People like you want to piss on someone and then call them sensitive when they take umbrage to being pissed on. As long as they fall in line and allow you to urinate freely upon them, you spare them the rod. When they call you out however for being dumb, rude or downright unlikable, that's when you have to start tossing the reactionary rhetoric so prevalent among your breed of human. You'd make a great fascist, Finebammer.